Garment drying hanger



Sept. 5, 1961 G. H. DAY 2,998,903

GARMENT DRYING HANGER Filed Jan. 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Gloria. H.126,

A'Horneys Sept. 5, 1961 G. H. DAY

GARMENT DRYING HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1959 INVENTOR. G/o r/a. H. Day

WMf-W United States Patent A 2,998,903 GARMENT DRYING HANGER Gloria H. Day, 336 W. Magnolia Ave, Auburn, Ala. Filed Jan. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 789,015

' 6 Claims. (Cl. 223-68) This invention relates to a garment drying hanger and more particularly to such a device which shall hold the garment in the general shape as when worn whereby the garment does not wrinkle while drying and free circulation of air is provided adjacent the inner surface of the garment as well as adjacent the outer surface thereof.

Another object of my invention is to provide a garment drying hanger of the character designated which may be readily adjusted to accommodate garments of various sizes.

Another object of my invention is to provide a garment drying hanger of the character designated which shall be adapted for use with garments such as blouses, shirts and the like as well as with suits, skirts, dresses, uniforms and the like.

Another object of my invention is to provide a garment drying hanger which is adapted for use with slow drying materials, such as cotton, wool and the like as well as iil'llgh the faster drying materials, such as nylon and the Another object of my invention is to provide a garment drying hanger of the character designated which embodies detachable parts which may be assembled and "ice Apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled garment drying hanger;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view showing the assembled garment drying hanger after the curved shaping members have been bent to accommodate a garment, the garment being shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the assembled garment hanger;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmental sectional view taken generally along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3 showing the means for attaching a lower transverse member to a vertically extending member;

FIG. 5 is a fragmental sectional view taken generally along the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing one of the lower trans.

verse members adjusted to accommodate small garments; and,

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the lower transverse member in extended position for accommodating larger garments.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of my invention, I show an upper transverse member 10 which comprises a central portion 11 formed integraldissassembled in a minimum of time and packaged in t knock-down form for shipment, storage and the like.

.A more specific object of my invention is to provide a clothes drying hanger of the character designated which shall have curved shaping members which are formed of a bendable material whereby the shaping members may be readily bent to the desired shape to accommodate garments of various shapes and sizes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a garment drying hanger of the character designated which is neat in appearance and may be kept in a clean condition at all times.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a garment drying hanger of the character designated which is simple of construction, economical of manufacture and is adaptable for the display of a garment as well as for use in drying the garment.

Heretofore in the art to which my invention relates, various forms of garment drying hangers have been devised. However, so far as I am aware, such devices have been unsatisfactory due to the fact thatthe garments are not held in the general shape as when worn. Also, such devices have not been adjustable to accommodate garments of various sizes and such devices have embodied complicated structures and mechanisms whereby they are wholly unsatisfactory for use in drying garments.

To overcome the above and other difiiculties, I have devised a garment drying hanger which embodies an upper transverse member for supporting the shoulder portion of the garment. Connected to the upper transverse member is a vertical extending member which carries a lower, detachable transverse member which is adjustable along the vertically extending member. Curved shaping members are carried by the lower transverse member in position to engage the innersurface of the garment whereby the garment is held in the general shape as when worn. By providing a plurality of lower transverse members, the bust, waist and hip portions of the garment may be held in the general shape as when worn, whereby there are no wrinkles in the garment after drying and the garment dries in a minimum of time.

ly with lateral portions 12 and 13 that extend outwardly and downwardly from the central portion for supporting the shoulder of a garment. Preferably, the lateral portions 12 and 13 are in the form of looplike members, as shown in FIG. 1, whereby the shoulder portion of the garment is engaged over a relatively wide area. At tached to the central portion 11 of the upper transverse member 10 is an upstanding hook member 14 for attaching the upper transverse member to a suitable sup port, such as a clothes line, shower curtain rod or the like. Also attached to the central portion 11 of the upper transverse member 10 is a depending loop-like member 16 which preferably extends in a plane substantially parallel to the vertical plane passing through the lateral members 12 and 13, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

Detachably attached to the depending loop-like member 16 is a hook-like member 17 formed at the upper end of a vertically extending member 18. The lower end of the vertically extending member 18 carries a loop-like member 19, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Preferably, the vertically extending member 18 comprises a pair of vertical rod-like members 20 and 21 which are formed of a suitable material, such as wire or the like. The hook-like member 17 and the loop-like member 19 are formed integrally with the vertical rod-like members 20 and 21, as shown and the rod-like members 20 and 21 are spaced laterally from each other whereby they define a vertically extending slot 22 therebetween for a purpose to be described hereinafter.

Detachably attached to the vertically extending member 18 is a support bracket 23 for supporting a lower transverse member indicated generally at 24. The bracket 23 is attached to the vertically extending member 18 by a bolt 26, which extends through the vertically extending slot 22 defined between the rod-like members 20 and 21, and a wing nut 27. A washer 28 is positioned between the wing nut 27 and the vertical rod-like members 20 and 21, as shown in FIG. 4. Secured to the bracket 23 are members 29 and 31 which extend outwardly as at 32 and then upwardly as at 33 in spaced relation to the main portion of the bracket 23, as shown in FIG. 5, whereby the members 29 and 31 engage and support the lower transverse member 24, as shown.

The lower transverse member 24 comprises a pair of elongated members 34 and 36 which overlap each other, as clearly shown in FIGS; 1; 4- and 5. The members 34 and 36 are slidably attached to each other by suitable retaining members 37 which are of a size to encircle the elongated members 34 and 36, as clearly shown in FIG. 4. Secured to the outer end of the elongated member 34 is a curved shaping member 33 which extends inwardly in spaced relation to opposite sides of the elongated member 34. The free ends of the shaping member 38 are in the form of spirals 39, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The shaping member 38 is also formed of a bendable material whereby the shaping member may be bent to accommodate garments of various shapes and sizes. By providing the spiral ends 39 on the shap ing member 38, the over-all length of the ends of the shaping member may be extended or reduced, as required. Secured to the outer end of the elongated member 36 is a curved shaping member 41 having spiraled inner ends 42. The shaping member 41 is also formed of a bendable material whereby it may be bent to accommodate garments of various sizes and shapes.

With the assembly just described, the garment drying hanger is adapted for drying blouses, shirts and the like by placing the garment over the upper transverse member and the lower transverse member 24. The curved shaping members 38 and 41 hold the garment in the general shape as when worn whereby the garment dries without wrinkling and a vertical passageway is provided along the inner surface of the garment to permit free flow of air therethrough, whereby the garment is dried in a minimum of time.

In order to adapt the garment drying hanger for drying longer garments, such as dresses, suits, uniforms and the like, I attach a lower vertically extending member 18 to the lower end of the vertically extending member 18. The vertically extending member 18 is identical in construction to the vertical member 18. Accordingly, no detailed description thereof is deemed necessary. In order to hold the waist portion of the garment, such as a sweater, dress or the like, in the general shape as when worn, I attach a relatively small lower transverse member 24 to the vertically extending member 18 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The transverse member 24 comprises a pair of elongated members 34 and 36 which are slidably attached to each other by .retaining members 37". The overlapped members 34 and 36 are attached to the vertically extending member 18 by a bracket 23 which is identical in construction to the bracket 23. Se cured to the outer ends of the elongated members 34 and 36 are curved Shaping members .38 and 41, respectively. The inner ends of the shaping members 38 and 41 are provided with spirals 39 and 42 as shown in FIG. 1. Also, the curved shaping members 38*- and 41 are formed of a bendable material whereby the shapmg members may be bent to accommodate garments of various shapes and sizes.

To hold the hip portion of a garment in the general shape as when worn, I provide another lower transverse member 24 which comprises elongated overlapped members 34 and 36 which are held in slidable engagement with each other by retaining members 37. Secured to the outer ends of the elongated members 34* and 36' are curved shaping members 38* and 41 respectively. The inner ends of the curved shaping members 38 and 41 are in the form of spirals 39 and 42 and the shaping members are formed of a bendable material whereby the inwardly extending portions thereof may be bent to accommodate garments of various sizes and shapes.

In FIG. 6 of the drawings, I show the elongated members 34 and 36 in their innermost position whereby the lower transverse member 24 is adapted to accommodate smaller garments. In FIG. 7 of the drawings, I show the elongated members 34 and 36 in their extended posi tion whereby the over-all width of the transverse member 24 is increased for accommodating larger size garments. Also, in FIG. 7 I show the spiral portions 39 and 42 bent to their extended position to accommodate larger size garments. By forming the curved shaping members 38 and 41 of a bendable material, the free ends thereof may be extended or retracted or may be bent in a direction outwardly or inwardly relative to the elongated members 34 and 36, thereby adjusting the shaping members to correspond to the identical garment being dried. The lower transverse members 24* and 24 are adjusted to accommodate garments of various sizes in the identical manner as the lower transverse member 24 is adjusted.

From the foregoing description, the operation of my improved clothes drying hanger will be readily understood. If a blouse, shirt or the like is to be dried, the vertically extending member 18 is attached to the loopshaped member 16 of the upper transverse member '10. The elongated members 34 and 36 are moved relative to each other whereby the width of the lower transverse member 24 is adjusted as required. The curved shaping members 38 and 41 are then bent to accommodate the particular size garment being dried. The member 24 is then attached to the bracket 23 and the bracket 23 is attached to the vertically extending member 18 at the proper elevation to accommodate the particular garment being dried. That is the wing nut 27 is loosened whereby the bracket 23 is adapted for sliding movement along the vertically extending member 18 until the bracket 23 is positioned at the proper elevation. The wing nut 27 is then tightened whereby the bracket 23 is clamped in place to thus hold the transverse member 24 at the selected elevation.

If it is desired to dry a garment having a smaller waist portion, such as a sweater, the lower vertically extending member 18 is attached to the loop-like member 19 of the upper vertically extending member 18, as shown in FIG. 1 and the bracket 23 is adjusted along the vertically extending member 18 until it is at the proper elevation. The wing nut of the bracket 23 is then tightened whereby the bracket 23 is clamped in its selected position. The elongated members 34 and 36 and the curved shaping members 38'- and 41 are then adjusted, in the manner described above, whereby the member '24 is of the proper size to accommodate the waist portion of the garment being dried. The sweater, or the like, is then inserted over the upper transverse member 18, the lower transverse member 24 and then the lower transverse member 24 whereby the sweater is held in the general shape as when worn.

To dry a still longer garment, such as a dress, uniform or the like, the lower transverse member 24 is attached adjacent the lower end of the vertically extending member 18 at the proper elevation by a bracket 23 in the manner described hereinabove. The transverse members 24, 24 and 24 are all adjusted to accommodate the particular garment being dried. For example, in drying a dress or the like, the lower transverse member 24 is adjusted to accommodate the bust portion of the garment. The lower transverse member 24 is adjusted to accommodate the waist portion of the garment and the lowermost transverse member 24 is adjusted to accommodate the hip portion of the garment. Thegarment is thus supported as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

In order to dry a relatively small garment, such as a small childs dress or the like, the small transverse member 24 is attached to the bracket 23 carried by the upper vertically extending member 18. The hook-like member 17 of the vertically extending member 18 is then attached to a depending loop-like member 16 carried by a smaller upper transverse member 10, which is of a size to accommodate the smaller garment.

Preferably, the upper transverse member 10 and the vertically extending members 18 and 18 are covered with a plastic material or the like, whereby the garments being dried or displayed on the device are not damaged by rust and the parts of the device are maintained in a clean condition with a minimum of eflort. However,

these parts of the assembly may be formed of a non-rust material, such as stainless steel or the like, if desired.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have devised an improved garment drying hanger. By holding the garment in the general shape as when worn, the garment dries without wrinkling and a maximum surface area of the garment is placed in direct contact with the drying air. Also, the passageway defined within the garment aids in the up-draft of the drying air alongside the inner surface of the garment, thus drying the garment in a minimum of time. Furthermore, by forming the garment drying hanger in detachable sections which may be readily assembled and disassembled, the device may be readily packaged in a minimum of space for storage and shipping.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A garment drying hanger comprising an upper transverse member for supporting the shoulder portion of a garment, a generally rigid vertically extending member detachably connected at its upper end to said upper transverse member, a lower transverse member slidably connected to said vertically extending member and adapted for vertical adjustment relative thereto at selected intervals, and an inwardly curved shaping member secured inter-mediate its ends to each outer end of said lower transverse member in position to engage the inner surface of a garment whereby the garment is held in the general shape as when worn, the free ends of the inwardly curved shaping members being in the form of inwardly disposed spirals of bendable material whereby the spirals of one shaping member are adapted to be adjacent the spirals of the other shaping member at selected adjusted positions.

2. A garment drying hanger comprising an upper transverse member having a central portion and lateral portions extending outwardly from said central portion for supporting the shoulder of a garment, a vertically extending member detachably connected at its upper end to said central portion of the upper transverse member, there being a vertically extending slot in said vertically extending member, a lower transverse member, adjustable securing means operatively connected to said lower transverse member and passing through said vertically extending slot to mount the transverse member slidably on the vertically extending member whereby said lower transverse member is secured to said vertically extending member at selected elevations, and at least one curved shaping member secured intermediate its ends to each outer end of said lower transverse member and disposed to engage the inner surface of a garment whereby the garment is held in the general shape as when worn, the free ends of the inwardly curved shaping members being in the form of inwardly disposed spirals of bendable material whereby the spirals of one shaping member are adapted to be adjacent the spirals of the other shaping member at selected adjusted positions.

3. A garment drying hanger as defined in claim 2 in which the vertically extending member comprises a pair of laterally spaced parallel rod-like members connected 6 to each other and defining a vertically extending slot therebetween.

4. A garment drying hanger comprising an upper transverse member for supporting the shoulder portion of a garment, a vertically extending member detachably connected at its upper end to said upper transverse member, a lower transverse member slidably connected to said vertically extending member and adapted for vertical adjustment relative thereto at selected positions, at least one curved shaping member carried by said lower transverse member and disposed to engage the inner surface of a garment, a second vertically extending member detachably connected at its upper end to the lower end of the first mentioned vertically extending member, a second lower transverse member slidably connected to said second vertically extending member and adapted for Vertical adjustment relative thereto, and at least one curved shaping member carried by said second lower transverse member and disposed to engage the inner surface of a garment whereby the garment is held by the curved shaping members in the general shape as when worn.

5. A garment drying hanger as defined in claim 4 in which each of the lower transverse members comprises a pair of elongated members slidably attached to each other whereby the overall length of each lower transverse member may be adjusted, and inwardly curved shaping members secured intermediate their ends to the outer ends of said elongated members.

6. A garment drying hanger comprising an upper transverse member for supporting the shoulder portion of a garment, a vertically extending member detachably connected at its upper end to said upper transverse member, a first lower transverse member slidably connected to said vertically extending member and adapted for vertical adjustment relative thereto at selected intervals, at least one curved bust shaping member carried by said first lower transverse member and disposed to engage the inner surface of a garment, a second vertically extending member detachably connected at its upper end to the lower end of the first mentioned vertically extending member, a second lower transverse member slidably connected to said second vertically extending member and adapted for vertical adjustment relative thereto at se-' lected intervals, at least one curved waist shaping member carried by said second lower transverse member and disposed to engage the inner surface of a garment, a third lower transverse member slidably connected to said second vertically extending member below said second lower transverse member and adapted for vertical adjustment relative thereto at selected intervals and at least one curved hip shaping member carried by said third lower transverse member and disposed to engage the inner surface of a garment, said curved bust, waist and hip shaping members being of a shape and size to hold the garment in the general shape as when worn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

